Supervisors with this research interest

Faculty of Health Sciences

Nat Sch Psychology

I am a clinical neuroscientist and a Research Fellow in the Cognition and Emotion Research Centre within the School of Psychology at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. In addition to training as a neuroscientist, I also obtained accredited training in Psychology during my undergraduate studies at Monash University and at Swinburne University of Technology.

Within our Centre, I lead a major program of research on social cognitive neurosciences. This involves directing a group of researchers and students on research involving oxytocin and human participants in studies involving healthy ageing as well as clinical groups (e.g., social anxiety disorder).

My research examines the social cognitive and emotional processes in humans, and in particular, how psychiatric illnesses and ageing affect these processes. I also examine how, when and why the healthy ageing brain, show declines in core social cognitive functions. My research incorporates a variety of brain imaging techniques (such as fMRI, DTI, EEG, EMG, tDCS, and fNIRS), cognitive assessments, and neuropsychopharmacological manipulations. I have conducted randomised and double-blind placebo-controlled trials in humans investigating the effects of antidepressants such as SSRIs, serotonergic precursors such as tryptophan, and more recently, neuropeptides such as oxytocin. My research uses both healthy as well as clinical samples including social anxiety disorder, Huntington's disease and body image disorders. Using a variety of research methods, I strive to understand the neurobiological mechanisms implicated in dysfunctional social cognitive and emotional processes in humans, with an aim to improve quality of life and develop more refined and targeted treatment options for mental health disorders.